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As Cyprus struggles to forgo being another player in the Eurozone debt calamity, many tough choices will have to be made in the coming weeks and months. Reshuffling the cabinet and tight fiscal policies could stiffen resolve behind austerity measures that, if adopted, could possibly see Cyprus through its economic crisis. For the first time in over half a century of the Republic’s history there is a call for early elections.
These are certainly difficult times for Cyprus. With the coalition party, DIKO, pulling out and leaving AKEL the only party supporting the administration, the economy edging towards a bail-out, and the whole Mari fiasco explosion there is little room for any serious talks or remedies for successful negotiations with Turkish Cypriots.
Can Christofias hold on to his post for the next 18-months of his presidency to regain voter confidence? Will Cyprus need an EU bail-out or can it pull through the economic crisis on its own? And in the wake of a politically feeble government and economy, what are the prospects for a settlement of the Cyprus problem?

“When it comes to the Arab revolts and Turkey’s relations with its near abroad, there are more questions than answers to be found,” claimed Cengiz Candar. He argued that Turkey’s foreign policy agenda seems to be complicated by its inconsistent approach to the revolutions in the Middle East and Turkey’s publicity-seeking Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu.

As a predominantly-Muslim democracy, ally of the West, a booming market economy and emerging “soft power”, Turkey has long been identified as a model for the political transformation in the Middle East. However, once the revolutions began, Turkey’s ability to contribute to democracy and stabilization appeared more limited than many thought.

Recent political unrest in the Middle East has prompted a debate about whether Turkey, a transitioning democracy with Islamic roots, can serve as a model for political transformation in the Arab world. The panelists highlighted the distinctiveness of the "Turkish model" of governance and raised doubts about its potential to inform the political discourse in the revolting Middle East.

An author, activist and scholar, Senay Özdemir addressed her personal experiences as a Muslim feminist in Western Europe, along with her literary and journalistic efforts to give voice to the Mediterranean community and their role in Dutch politics.

Nora Fisher Onar, Department of Politics and International Relations, Bahcesehir University (Turkey), and Center for International Studies, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford (UK)